


Ahead to Adventure

by Squish13



Series: InDiana Cavendish [1]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Gen, Indiana Jones AU, Scot Diana, Slight Diamanda, Strong Language, Treasure Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:34:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25212511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squish13/pseuds/Squish13
Summary: The story of how Diana's life completely changed.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Amanda O'Neill
Series: InDiana Cavendish [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826632
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	Ahead to Adventure

**Lancaster - 1926**

As Diana was let out of the car, she looked up to the shimmering lights of the mansion looming over her. She let out a breath, knowing what was to come, as she straightened out the blue fabrics of her dress. Mentally preparing herself, she stepped toward the threshold, nodding at the doorman who let the young miss pass. She was but a guest this evening. A guest with a well-renowned name, but her hosts never missed an opportunity to flaunt their achievements. And that’s what this particular event was for. Or so she’d heard. 

For the time being, Diana would try to stay out of the spotlight. Engage in polite conversation if she was noticed, but for the most part, avoid a specific individual in particular.

“Well if it isn’t Miss Diana Cavendish.”

And so she was finally discovered. “Lord Hanbridge.” Diana greeted, turning to meet the devil himself. 

“Diana, please.” Andrew spoke as he took her hand, gently lifting it up while he leaned forward to meet her skin in gentlemanly conduct. “You know me better than to act so formal.”

“On the contrary. I know you _ just _ well enough.” 

Andrew chuckled, meeting her steely gaze. “I actually didn’t expect to see you this evening.”

“And why would that be?”

“Well, I know how much you abhor events like this.”

“True.” Diana nodded. “But you also know how much choice I have in the matter.”

“Well I hear you’ve been making many choices lately. University, Diana?”

Diana knew this topic would come up at some point, especially considering her current company. “Is there a problem with that?”

Andrew shook his head, not in denial, but disappointment. “You’re hardly one to break tradition. Why now?”

“Tradition is exactly the reason. Or rather, history.” Diana replied, earning a curious glance from the young man before her. “I come from an ancient house, one with a long and storied history.”

“Yes,” Andrew replied. “Everyone knows of House Cavendish.”

“But the more I learned of it, the more I learned of how much we’ve lost. And it’s not only our families, Andrew. History, culture, is being lost the world over. I want to preserve it, and attending university gives me the greatest chance for doing so.” Diana concluded.

Andrew hummed in response. “An admirable goal, for certain. However, I wonder if you truly are prepared for such a burden. What lengths are you willing to go for to accomplish this?”

“I’d go to any length.” Diana interrupted before Andrew could finish his ranting.

“Really?” He questioned, raising a brow as he studied Diana’s resolute face. He scoffed. “Well I suppose there’s no changing your mind in this matter. I just hope you're prepared for the consequences.” Andrew turned his attention over to his father across the room, gesturing towards the pair and beginning to lead a group of dignitaries over. “It seems our time is at an end.” He commented, turning his attention back to Diana.

“It would seem so.” She acknowledged.

“Yes, until next time.” Andrew left with a dip of his head before heading over to meet the men.

“Until next time.” Diana repeated to herself, hoping it would be a long time. 

She released a breath, letting the tension from the previous conversation wash away. She needed space. As always, just one conversation with the young Hanbridge was enough to leave her completely drained. Now was the best time for her to take a walk. Get away before any young men came chasing after her.

Diana roamed the halls, mindful of which locations were and were not appropriate for her to travel. All the while, letting her own mind wander as she studied every portrait, every tapestry, every fitting. 

But she was brought away from her focus so quickly by the sound of metal clattering to the ground, followed quickly by a slew of curses from what seemed to be a woman’s voice.

Diana hurried toward the noise, down the old corridors. And as she rounded the corner, she was met with the most curious scene. Some strange redhead, dressed in a dark jacket and fedora was picking up pieces of an old armor set which had scattered all over the floor. Diana merely stood there, unable to move as she watched the scene unfold. 

“Fucking shit-ass job. Why’d I even agree to this.” The redhead mumbled to herself in the most American accent Diana had ever heard before she looked up and was met with the bewildered blonde. The two continued to stare at each other without a word while the redhead carefully slid a hand toward the whip at her side. 

Diana noticed this action and immediately turned to run, but was unable to make it very far before she had been tripped and hit the ground hard. 

As Diana awoke, the first thing she noticed was the sharp pain of her head. She rose a hand to her forehead, trailing careful fingers over the sticky liquid which covered her skin. And taking her hand away, all she could do was stare at the red coating on her fingertips.

“So, the princess finally awakes.”

Diana looked up toward her captor, her eyes adjusting to her dark atmosphere and the light filtering in around them. From the sound of things, they were holed up inside a cargo car of some train. Diana sat up, leaning back against the old wooden walls of her prison as she took a better look at the one who brought her here. The woman was sitting atop a crate, observing a golden jeweled ornament she held up to the light. Diana scowled. Thief. But there was something a little more important to address. “Why did you take me?”

“Yeah… Sorry about that.” The woman drawled. “But uh, no witnesses and all that.”

“So you resorted to kidnapping?”

“As opposed to what?” She shrugged. “Letting all those hoity toity nobles know that I broke in? Yeah, no thanks.” She said, pocketing the stolen artifact.

“And don’t you think they’d find it suspicious when one of their own simply disappears from the party?”

“Do you really think they’d notice?”

Okay, so the thief had a point there. The only person who could have possibly noticed her absence would be Andrew, but even then, she didn’t think he’d be all that concerned. “Even so, you can’t just take people and leave with them!”

The thief scoffed, standing up from her seat and strolling over toward Diana whom she proceeded to loom over. “Listen here, Princess, I can do whatever I damn well please. If that means taking someone with me to cover my tracks, then so be it; but I’m not gonna get caught just because I decided to leave someone behind to snitch on me. Now then,” She said, retreating to a corner and covering her eyes with her hat. “Shut up and enjoy the ride. We got a while to go before our next stop.”

Diana seethed at the remarks her captor made. Who did she even think she was? Diana let out a frustrated breath through her nostrils before proceeding to look over the inside of this car. Perhaps she could figure a way out of here. The cabin door? No, she didn’t know if she could move that on her own. The overhead hatch? Well it would take a bit of effort to reach, but it was her best bet.

Diana took a glance toward the redhead who had seemed to have fallen asleep already. Now was as good a time as ever. She removed her heels before rising to her feet and taking a few cautious steps toward her captor to make sure the woman really was out. She certainly appeared to be so. 

Carefully, she picked up a crate and moved it into position under the hatch. Just the one wasn’t enough for her to reach, so she took another and stacked it atop. Diana’s heart was pounding out of her chest. She was about to be standing atop a moving train. What would her parents think of this? Diana only had to pray their ghosts wouldn’t come back to haunt her for this terrible risk she was about to take. 

Diana spared one more glance back to the sleeping thief. She couldn’t figure how anyone could sleep through such conditions. She was hardly quiet when moving around those crates. Though there was one interesting difference between now and when she started. The jeweled ornament had partially fallen out of the thief’s pocket.

Diana could do it. She could leave right now. But she couldn’t. She had to return that ornament. She didn’t have to, but she couldn’t just stand by when she had the opportunity to do something.

She approached the sleeping thief, careful as ever to not disturb her. Even her own breaths were measured and precise. Slowly, she reached forth to pick up the item, ever aware of the sleeping form beside her. Wrapping her fingers around its precious surface, warmed by the presence of the one who stored it away, she pulled away, ever cautious. Once the object was fully in her possession, Diana retreated to her platform, prepared to make her escape.

Diana made sure she had a firm grip on the artifact in her possession before proceeding with her escape plan. She felt out the lever on the hatch with her free hand, putting as much strength into it as needed to pry it open. It opened with a loud shriek, and Diana looked back over toward the sleeping form in the train car. Really, what was that girl on? She shook those thoughts away and focused back on the task at hand. Escape.

Hoisting herself up and finding her footing, Diana was able to get a good look at the world around her. The moon was shining brightly above, it was deep into the night, and fields of rolling green flew by as the train carried on its path. It wasn’t far to the last car; the place she could climb down and disembark. Not that she wanted to jump off a moving train, but better to try it closer to the ground than all the way up here. 

“Hey!”

Diana’s stomach dropped as she recognized the voice. Climbing out of the hatch behind her was the thief she thought was deep asleep. She ran to the back of the train. Every fear she had about running atop this moving platform was thrown away as the only thing on her mind was her escape. She could not be taken by this woman again. But once again, her escape was cut short. The thief’s whip had wrapped itself around her arm, and the jeweled prize she was escaping with went clattering forth. 

The binding around her wrist slackened as the thief rushed the artifact. Realising she was free, Diana followed suit, ignorant of the binding still holding her. As she made her rush for the piece, it was clear that she was nowhere near as fast or nimble as the thief. And as the woman made it to the object first, Diana realised that all her efforts had been in vain.

“Nice try, Princess, but you’re way outta your league here.” The thief taunted, turning her attention to the disappointed blonde as the moonlight illuminated her from behind.

Diana scowled, her attention fixed on the shining object once more in the thief’s possession. “That doesn’t belong to you.”

“What, and you think it belongs to those noble pricks I took it from?” The thief scoffed. “Please.”

Diana growled in frustration, closing her eyes as she hung her head in defeat. She then crossed an arm over to grab the one hanging by her side. The one still wrapped up with the whip. An idea struck her. She untangled her arm from the whip as the thief’s back was turned to her for that moment. She may not have any experience with this, but this was a day of many firsts, she supposed. 

_ CRACK _

“What the fuck?!” The thief yelled, having been struck across the back. She turned once more toward the blonde, who was now charging her? “Holy-”

Diana knocked the thief back onto her back, sending the artifact tumbling back. But this time, it was Diana who would recover the object. She didn’t wait, continuing her pace to the back of this train. Quickly, quickly, there was no time to waste as she leaped over cars, and headed for that final ladder down. 

Diana let the adrenaline fuel her as she made this last attempt at escape. And she didn’t think twice as she made her leap, falling to the side of the tracks and rolling several meters before she came to a stop. But she didn’t focus on the pain as she rose to her feet, nor did she look back at the figure who shrunk away. She ran. Toward anything, anyone who would be willing to help the beaten and battered girl, and hopefully, provide passage back to the Hanbridge estate to return this item. 

With the high worn off, and civilization in sight, Diana’s body felt ready to collapse. Hell, that was one word to describe what she had just been through. Kidnapping, stealing back a stolen heirloom, and jumping off a train. Could her life get any crazier?

Dawn had already greeted the town, and Diana came to a stop outside some town’s storefront. Last Wednesday Society? Seemed the store was already open. It was as good a rest stop as any.

The store welcomed her with the ring of a bell, letting the shopkeep know there was company. But Diana paid the greetings to mind, only caring that she had found a place to rest. Finally. Everything about this moment felt too good to be true. And it was.

“Hey, Princess.” 

Diana was too tired to respond, waiting as the thief took her seat across from Diana at the table. The thief held a hand out, waiting for the stolen heirloom, and without a fight, Diana handed it over. 

The thief then leaned over onto her forearm, smug in  _ her _ victory. “I gotta admit, you got balls. Really threw me for a loop there.” She stated, waiting for a response which Diana would not give. “By the way, what’s your name? I gotta know.” 

But, Diana did not respond. She merely looked up to the thief in a tired haze.

“If it’s a trust thing, I get it. So let me go first. Amanda O’Neill.” She held out her hand for the blonde, this time in proper greeting.

“Diana. Diana Cavendish.” She finally spoke, taking the offering before her.

“Y’know, I really just wanted to tell you that you earned my respect back there. That’s not something many can say.” 

Diana was just too tired to care at this point. So she earned the respect of a thief, this Amanda O’Neill character. “I suppose I should consider myself honored.”

“Hell yeah, you should.” Amanda smirked, leaning back into her seat. But having sensed Diana’s dour mood, she shifted her own tone. “Listen, I know it’s hard not getting something you worked for, but you learn to roll with the punches, y’know? You’ll get back up and out there. And you, I know you got potential down there.” She said, poking a finger at Diana’s heart. Amanda then rose from her seat, moving to walk away, but stopping at Diana’s side instead.

Diana felt something being pushed onto her head, and she looked up. Amanda was looking down at her with a genuine smile, her fedora missing. “Keep it.” The redhead said. “And keep the whip too. Make things interesting for yourself.” 

Diana cringed at the implications behind that statement, but as Amanda left the store with a nod off, she somehow felt… better. It was strange, something she’d never felt before. And she only had to wonder what her future held in store.

**Author's Note:**

> Pls leave the comments and kudos. They make me happy a happy writer.


End file.
